Birding trip around the Khangai Mts

central Mongolia, summer 2013

A birding hotspot of the Gobi Desert: Boon Tsagaan Nuur

with the Gobi Altai Mts in the background, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

part three:

Aquatic birds in the Gobi Desert –

birding around Boon Tsagaan Nuur

by Thomas Hallfarth

( links to previous posts: part one, part two )

On 31 July we left the nomadic family of our driver’s brother to go birding at Boon Tsagaan Nuur, the largest of the Gobi lakes. The change from mountain to desert birdlife already began at the southernmost hills of Khangai Mts. Here we saw the first birds of desert habitats. We found a group of Mongolian Finches in a dry river valley, probably the breeding ground of these birds and also a pair of Isabelline Shrikes. Not far from this place, a female Chukar with one chick crossed our way. Surprisingly we also discovered three Henderson's Ground Jays and a single juvenile Desert Wheatear, both species we expected not until we reached the proper Gobi Desert.

Mongolian Finch

South part of Khangai Mts, Jul 2013, © B. Möckel

Isabelline Shrike

South part of Khangai Mts, Jul 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Henderson’s Ground Jay

South part of Khangai Mts, Jul 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Desert Wheater, juv

South part of Khangai Mts, Jul 2013, © T. Hallfarth

During the short crossing of the Gobi Desert we saw good numbers of Pallas’s Sandgrouse, including a family with one chick and some flocks of several hundreds of birds.

Pallas’s Sandgrouse, pair

Gobi Desert, Jul 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Then, in the afternoon we arrived at one of the birding hotspots of our trip, the famous Boon Tsagaan Nuur. Here we stayed until 2 August. In this time we made some interesting observations. The greatest concentration of birds was at the estuary of Baydrag Gol in the north-eastern part of the lake.

Boon Tsagaan Nuur: Beautiful landscape surrounding
the lake, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

A minimum of 15,000 Black-headed Gulls were here, furthermore 1,100 Spoonbills, 800 Cormorants, 800 Caspian Terns, and 500 Pallas’s Gulls. Mongolians fourth Slender-billed Gull was one of the top species we saw here. Also, 25 Relict Gulls, eleven Greater Sand Plovers, two Pallas’s Fish Eagles and singles of Grey-tailed Tattler, Terek Sandpiper and Little Tern provided further nice observations.

Caspian Tern

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Pallas’s Gull (flying in front of Black-headed Gulls)

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Slender-billed Gull

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © B. Möckel

Relict Gulls

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Relict Gulls

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Relict Gull

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Relict Gulls

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Grey-tailed Tattler

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Grey-tailed Tattler

Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Aug 2013, © B. Möckel

A short trip into the nearby very dry Gobi Altai Mts. provided a further Chukar and some beautiful views at Boon Tsagaan Nuur.

Gobi Altai Mts.: Dry valley in the south part
of the mountains , Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Chukar

Gobi Altai Mts., Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

Gobi Altai Mts.

View at the lake Boon Tsagaan Nuur , Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth

With these observations we finish our journey to Mongolia and also this little trip report. A German proverb says literally: “After the game is before the game”. And so we were already planning our next trip to Mongolia…

Gobi Altai Mts.

Good bye, Boon Tsagaan Nuur… Aug 2013, © T. Hallfarth